Frequently asked questions

Contact us. If you know what you need, we begin once you accept our rates and terms. If you are less certain, we will set up a time to discuss where to begin. Our tips for a successful search may also help.

As early in the process as possible. We may be able to help refine your requirements or tell you what kinds of candidates are available. It is fine if you are not yet certain which skills you need.

We work on contingency. You pay no placement fee unless you hire a candidate we introduce. Optional technical assessments are billed separately. Placement fees are at industry-standard rates.

Yes. For startups, full or partial payment in equity may be the best option. Contact us to discuss it.

Generally, no. Because we work on contingency, we keep rates simple rather than negotiating each engagement. Startups may prefer to discuss full or partial payment in equity.

Our team has decades of experience in the fields in which we recruit: leading and building teams, developing and deploying technology, and assessing people and skill sets, in the United States and overseas. That experience gives us access to specific talent pools and lets us have informed technical conversations with candidates. We do not ask for 10 years of experience with a technology that has existed for five.

We work alongside internal recruiters and HR teams. We add access to specific talent pools, which matters once internal networks are exhausted; we save internal staff time with no placement fee unless we deliver a hire; and we provide an outside assessment of candidates.

A short search usually reflects work done in advance. For each introduction we may speak with dozens of candidates who are not a match. Because we work on contingency, we also carry the risk of searches that take hundreds of hours and do not result in a hire.

Yes. With clear requirements, we assess each candidate's skill set before introducing them. In-depth technical assessments, interviews, or skills tests by a subject matter expert are available for a fixed fee per assessment and are not included in the contingency fee.

These checks are not included in the contingency fee. Contact us for more information.

We primarily work with companies headquartered in the United States. On a case-by-case basis we work with select international companies or their U.S. subsidiaries, usually in Canada or Western Europe.

There is no cost to you, and the time required is small if we cannot find a suitable opening. Changing employers is often the most direct route to a raise or promotion. Many roles are filled through referrals, and we can introduce you to openings you may not find on your own, including at smaller companies that do little recruiting or marketing. It is also useful to know your market value in case of layoffs, reorganizations, canceled programs, or financing problems at your employer.

No. Candidates never pay us anything. We are paid by the hiring company when a placement is made.

No. Clients that require a clearance require candidates to already have existing security clearances at the level noted in the vacancy. This can be a problem for veterans whose civilian clearance is lower than the one they held on active duty.

No. Some of our searches require a clearance, and some do not. The current searches page shows which is which.

Upload it through the general application. We prefer plain-text files. Please do not send resumes as email attachments. We reformat resumes as needed for our clients.

Companies receive large numbers of online applications, and few resumes are read. Some advertised jobs are also not open positions, for reasons that range from resume collection to internal disagreement about whom to hire. We make introductions based on existing relationships with hiring teams, sometimes before a vacancy is advertised.

If we are working with you and learn of a suitable opening at a company that is not a client, we may introduce you anyway, time permitting. Referral bonuses are not paid for introductions to companies that are not paying clients.

Current demand is shown on the current searches page. Over time, frequent requests have included software engineers with security clearances, engineers with AI and machine learning experience, cloud and DevOps engineers, signal processing engineers, cybersecurity specialists, IT staff with clearances, and people with government or military backgrounds. Specialized skill sets are often in demand even when there are few openings, so contact us even if your background is not listed.

This depends on the company and your experience. We usually know the salary range before making an introduction. Equity and bonuses can change the overall picture significantly.

Not necessarily. Requirements depend on the client and the role. Many capable engineers and cybersecurity specialists are self-taught or trained in the military.

As a matter of policy, because of security and fraud concerns, we do not intentionally solicit or initiate contact with current U.S. federal, state, or local government employees, including military personnel. They may contact us directly, or we may contact them after a by-name referral.

If you have a prior government, military, or defense contractor background, you may need to have your resume reviewed/approved by your current or former employer. You can contact us while the review is in progress. Do not send a resume that has not been approved; tell us that it is in review.

No. This is common, and we know how to address it with employers.

Yes. Tell us your preferred method when you contact us. We do not use Telegram, WeChat, or QQ.

Yes, if someone on our team is in your area. We have the most availability in the Washington, D.C., area and in Seattle. Many candidates prefer a phone call.

We recruit for executive roles, including CTO positions. Entry-level placements depend on the client and candidate; we may be able to place recent engineering graduates, particularly in software. We do not consider Ph.D. candidates entry level.

We see far fewer remote positions than 5 years ago, although there is high demand from candidates. We see more hybrid positions and frequently have them available. We keep a list of strong candidates seeking remote roles, but we generally do not interview them unless or until we have a specific role available.

We vet our clients and generally have personal relationships with them. We follow up with candidates after interviews and placements, and we stop working with companies when we learn of management problems or unfair treatment of candidates.

Please see individual job postings, as U.S. citizenship or permanent residency is required for many security-related roles.

No. Self-referrals are not accepted.

Twelve months after we receive the referral, or until the expiration date in our confirmation, whichever is earlier.

You must know them personally. When we contact them, they should recognize your name.

We keep specific records for the program and need to resolve cases where several people refer the same person. The first complete referral we receive is the one that counts. A referral is eligible for a bonus only after you receive our written confirmation.

After the client pays us, normally 90 to 120 days after the candidate starts work, plus processing time. Payment may be delayed if the client's payment is delayed.

Yes, and you are responsible for the taxes. We issue a Form 1099 or other tax documentation as required.

You must live in the United States and be a U.S. person for federal tax purposes, meaning you can complete IRS Form W-9. We report bonus payments on Form 1099, and these requirements also help protect the program from fraud. Before payment, you must provide a completed Form W-9, a U.S. mailing address, and a valid U.S. taxpayer identification number.

That is between you and the person you refer. We have no role in how a bonus is shared.

From time to time we offer higher bonuses for certain types of referrals or during certain periods. Codes are announced in our monthly list of open roles.

The program terms allow us to reject a referral or withhold a bonus if information was inaccurate or misleading, if the referral was fraudulent or automated, or if the client did not pay. This protects the program from abuse. We intend to pay bonuses to everyone who refers candidates in good faith.